M5S Backs Gabanelli for Quirinale

Grillo: “Bersani could make a start by voting for her”. Ahead of Strada and Rodotà. Ms Gabanelli: “If they ask me, I will answer the call”. Grillo: “A lady who has never cosied up to Berlusconi”

M5S Backs Gabanelli for Quirinale

Grillo: “Bersani could make a start by voting for her”. Ahead of Strada and Rodotà. Ms Gabanelli: “If they ask me, I will answer the call”. Grillo: “A lady who has never cosied up to Berlusconi”

Milena Gabanelli. A woman and a journalist, best-known for her investigations and dogged campaigns against waste in politics. “A lady who battles against the ‘strong powers’”, in Beppe Grillo’s words. Ms Gabanelli is the candidate for the presidency of Italy chosen by voters registered with the Five Star MoVement (M5S). It is also a name with which Beppe Grillo sends a clear message to the Democratic Party (PD): “Bersani, vote for her and it could be the start of a collaboration”.

PREFERENCES AND NUMBERS – The number of preference votes Ms Gabanelli obtained has not been made public. For the time being, all we know is that Gino Strada was in second place and behind him came Stefano Rodotà, Gustavo Zagrebelsky, Ferdinando Imposimato, Emma Bonino and Gian Carlo Caselli. Bringing up the rear were Romano Prodi and Dario Fo. The number of registered voters – 48,282 – was also announced after the first round of online voting.

REACTION – Ms Gabanelli had this to say about the result: “When people think you are up to such a huge task, you can only feel honoured because it is extremely gratifying”. Ms Gabanelli said she was “absolutely overcome and also overrated”. Then she added: “But as for my candidature, when the proposers ask me, I will answer the call”. Speaking on the Ballarò late-night talk show, Ms Gabanelli added: “It’s not just a surprise. It’s a punch in the head that leaves me in an embarrassing position. I’m surprised, grateful and embarrassed at the same time. This is professional and moral recognition from ordinary citizens. I’m grateful because it is of great importance for me and for my team. Our independence has been acknowledged. It could be the most important recognition we have ever received”. When asked whether she thought she could accept the candidature, Ms Gabanelli replied: “I’m going to weigh it up tonight. I don’t know what to say. This is bigger than I am and I think that holding such an elevated position requires political skills that I do not believe I possess. I could go on for hours about double-jobbing magistrates but this is an honour. Has there ever been a journalist president? This could be the first time anyone has considered a journalist for the Quirinale Palace”.

WHAT WILL DI PIETRO SAY NOW? – Mr Grillo joked about Ms Gabanelli’s past investigations for the Report programme, which buried the political career of Italy of Values (IDV) leader, Antonio Di Pietro: “What will Di Pietro say now?” The M5S leader went on: “Can you imagine Gabanelli going to see Obama? And then doing an investigation?” Speaking to a rally at Zoppola in the province of Pordenone, Mr Grillo declared himself satisfied with the candidatures that had emerged from M5S’s “Quirinarie” presidential poll. “Gabanelli is a strong signal for change”. “Gabanelli, Gino Strada, Stefano Rodotà. Names you’re not used to. Unaccustomed, non-party names. Not eighty or ninety-year-olds. Not constitutional scholars. We are they only country in the world where it takes a constitutional scholar to understand the constitution”.

NEVER COSIED UP TO BERLUSCONI – In a video posted on his La Cosa blog, Mr Grillo sent out a pointed message to Silvio Berlusconi: “I hope Milena Gabanelli accepts and I want to give some advice to Bersani. No irony. No smart talk. This is serious. It could be a meeting point. You vote for Gabanelli, too. Vote for a lady who has always done her job well”. Why should he, according to the M5S frontman? “Gabanelli is a woman who has never cosied up to Berlusconi, which is a miracle nowadays. Think on, Bersani, think on. This could genuinely be the beginning of, who knows, a collaboration. Try it. Try voting for her. And we’ll take it from there. We’ll go on to election grants, corruption laws, Berlusconi’s ineligibility. We might even find some convergence. If not with you, with the PD’s young people. Thanks for hearing me out”.

PD’S UNOFFICIAL REPLY – The message was rammed home at the day’s second rally. “My dear Bersani, I say this from the heart, affectionately. I won’t wind you up any more. I won’t call you Gargamel again. We are willing. Willing to make changes. We need a signal”. Sources close to Mr Bersani, however, turned down the offer, albeit unofficially: “The constitution applies to everyone. The two-thirds method applies for the first rounds of voting. And if everyone puts forward their own flag-bearer right from the early rounds, you’re not going to find a consensus candidate. That’s not the right way”, concluded the source.

THE RODOTÀ OPTION − Be that as it may, Beppe Grillo ploughed on: “Amato was Craxi’s purse-string holder for ten years, along with Berlusconi. They’re committing suicide by putting him forward”. Should Milena Gabanelli refuse the M5S candidature for the presidential election, next up would be Gino Strada, someone else who is “outside politics with a good reputation”. But above all, there is “Rodotà. Perfect. A name the Left could endorse”. In other words, someone they would have to vote for.

POST-PRODI AND POST-STRADA – Nine candidates remained in the wake of Beppe Grillo’s withdrawal from the Quirinale race: Emma Bonino, Gian Carlo Caselli, Dario Fo, Milena Jole Gabanelli, Ferdinando Imposimato, Romano Prodi, Stefano Rodotà, Luigi (“Gino”) Strada and Gustavo Zagrebelsky. Candidates both political and non-political. Over the past few days, the list has been much debated within the M5S, after Romano Prodi’s candidature was assumed to have Gianroberto Casaleggio and Beppe Grillo’s approval. But Mr Casaleggio himself queered the pitch by remarking at a meeting with small businesspeople that the candidate would have to bee unconnected with politics. There has also been controversy recently over Mr Grillo’s allegations of an attack by hackers, after which M5S militants were invited to vote again. As usual, the whole story was posted on Beppe Grillo’s blog.

MEETINGS AND VOTES – With everything still left to play for while Ms Gabanelli makes up her mind, M5S has called a meeting to take political stock of the situation in the run-up to voting for the new president, which begins on Thursday morning. The focus of discussion is the fourth round, when the majority required is lower and M5S votes could swing the result.